2000
#8,571
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,537
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.31
Rare Last name
Lark
A surname derived from the small songbird, likely referring to someone who lived near larks or had a cheerful disposition.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,102 Americans carry the last name Lark. That puts it at #8,798 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 83,558 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lark surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Lark with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.1K
1 in 83,558
Census rank
#8,798
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,577 bearers of the surname Lark in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8798th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lark, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.8%. The next largest groups are Black (42.7%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lark
The surname LARK is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "lāwerc", which referred to the small songbird known as a lark. This name likely originated as a nickname for someone who was particularly fond of singing or had a cheerful, lark-like demeanor.
The earliest known record of the LARK surname dates back to the 13th century in the county of Oxfordshire, England. A man named Henry Laverok was mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273. This early spelling variation highlights the name's connection to the Old English word for the lark bird.
In the 14th century, the LARK surname appeared in various Middle English spellings, such as Laueroc, Laverok, and Larke. These variations reflect the transition from Old English to Middle English and the eventual standardization of the spelling as "LARK".
One notable early bearer of the LARK surname was Sir Ralph de Lark, a medieval English knight who lived in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. He served under King Edward I and participated in the Scottish Wars of Independence.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the LARK surname spread across England, with records showing families bearing this name in counties such as Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Gloucestershire. A prominent figure from this period was Thomas Lark, a Puritan clergyman born in Northamptonshire in 1571, who served as the rector of Charlton-on-Otmoor.
In the 18th century, the LARK surname can be found in the parish records of various English towns and villages. One notable bearer was Benjamin Lark, a renowned clockmaker from London who lived from 1705 to 1778 and was known for his exceptional craftsmanship.
The LARK surname also found its way across the Atlantic, with early American records showing families bearing this name in colonial Virginia and Massachusetts. John Lark, born in 1670 in Oxfordshire, England, was among the first known LARK immigrants to the American colonies, settling in Virginia in the late 17th century.
Throughout history, the LARK surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including farmers, tradesmen, clergymen, and artists. Some notable figures with this surname include the 19th-century English novelist Walter Lark and the 20th-century British playwright James Lark.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lark
Among Census respondents with the surname Lark, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.8%. The next largest groups are Black (42.7%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Lark bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Lark surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White47.8% · 1,709
- Black or African American42.7% · 1,529
- Two or more races5.1% · 184
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 125
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lark
Lark appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#8,174
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,055
+518 bearers (+14.6%)
Per 100,000 1.37
Rank movement Up 397 places
2020
#8,798
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,577
-478 bearers (-11.8%)
Per 100,000 1.20
Rank movement Down 624 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,571 | 3,537 | 1.31 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,174 | 4,055 | 1.37 | +518 bearers (+14.6%) | Up 397 places |
| 2020 | #8,798 | 3,577 | 1.20 | -478 bearers (-11.8%) | Down 624 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Lark surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #8,174 | #8,798 | -7.6% |
| Count | 4,055 | 3,577 | -11.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.37 | 1.20 | -12.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lark bearers went from 4,055 to 3,577 (-11.8% change). The surname moved down 624 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,174 to #8,798.
FAQ
Lark surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lark?
Name Census estimates that about 4,102 living Americans carry the surname Lark. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 83,558 residents.
How common is Lark?
Lark ranks #8,798 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.20 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,577 people with the surname Lark. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,102), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.20 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Lark.
Has Lark become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lark went from 4,055 recorded bearers to 3,577. That is a decrease of 478 (-11.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,174 to #8,798.
What does the Census say about the background of Lark?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lark, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.8%. The next largest groups are Black (42.7%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Lark in the 2020 Census, accounting for 47.8% (1,709 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lark appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (47.8%), Black (42.7%), Two or More Races (5.1%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Lark (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Lark mean?
A surname derived from the small songbird, likely referring to someone who lived near larks or had a cheerful disposition. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Lark (1.20 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Lark?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.